Agent skill
gitlab-ci-artifacts-caching
Use when configuring artifacts for inter-job data passing or caching for faster builds. Covers cache strategies and artifact management.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/TheBushidoCollective/han/tree/main/plugins/tools/gitlab-ci/skills/artifacts-caching
SKILL.md
GitLab CI - Artifacts & Caching
Configure artifacts and caching for efficient pipeline execution.
Artifacts
Basic Artifact Configuration
build:
script:
- npm run build
artifacts:
paths:
- dist/
expire_in: 1 week
Artifact Reports
test:
script:
- npm test -- --coverage
artifacts:
reports:
junit: junit.xml
coverage_report:
coverage_format: cobertura
path: coverage/cobertura-coverage.xml
Conditional Artifacts
build:
artifacts:
paths:
- dist/
when: on_success # on_success, on_failure, always
exclude:
- dist/**/*.map
Artifact Dependencies
build:
artifacts:
paths:
- dist/
test:
dependencies:
- build # Downloads build artifacts
script:
- npm test
deploy:
dependencies: [] # Skip all artifact downloads
script:
- ./deploy.sh
Caching
Basic Cache Configuration
default:
cache:
key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
paths:
- node_modules/
- .npm/
Cache Key Strategies
# Per-branch cache
cache:
key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
paths:
- node_modules/
# Lock file based cache
cache:
key:
files:
- package-lock.json
paths:
- node_modules/
# Combined key
cache:
key:
prefix: ${CI_JOB_NAME}
files:
- package-lock.json
paths:
- node_modules/
Cache Policy
install:
cache:
key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
paths:
- node_modules/
policy: push # Only upload cache
script:
- npm ci
test:
cache:
key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
paths:
- node_modules/
policy: pull # Only download cache
script:
- npm test
Fallback Keys
cache:
key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
fallback_keys:
- ${CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH}
- main
paths:
- node_modules/
Distributed Cache (S3)
Configure in GitLab Runner:
[runners.cache]
Type = "s3"
Shared = true
[runners.cache.s3]
ServerAddress = "s3.amazonaws.com"
BucketName = "gitlab-runner-cache"
BucketLocation = "us-east-1"
Artifacts vs Cache
| Feature | Artifacts | Cache |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Pass data between jobs | Speed up job execution |
| Storage | GitLab server | Runner local or S3 |
| Reliability | Guaranteed | Best effort |
| Expiration | Configurable | Configurable |
| Cross-pipeline | Yes (with dependencies) | Yes (with keys) |
Best Practices
- Use cache for dependencies (node_modules, vendor)
- Use artifacts for build outputs
- Set appropriate expiration times
- Use lock file-based cache keys
- Exclude source maps and unnecessary files
- Use
policy: pullfor jobs that only read cache
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